The Space Between
by sniperrifle001
Summary: These are the moments no one remembers. These are the moments of loneliness. These are the moments of wait. These are the moments of silence. These are the moments of unnoticed anger. These are the moments they will never forget.
1. Chapter 1

A quick glance out the window told him that he would be arriving soon. He had lived in the loft all of his life, the way the sun penetrated the large windows told instantly what the time was. He had clocks and he had his cellphone but inside his home he needed neither. He blew on the coffee and as the steam fought his breath in a vortex of movement he slowly reached out his hand and touched the glazed surface of the mug. It was bearable. Extremely hot, but bearable.

He entered his office. A beautiful familiar blonde sat on his chair facing away from him. He remembered every strand of hair like the first time. He was sure that wasn't possible but hell did it ever sure feel like it. He said nothing. He stood. Because, here in this space, between words and actions; it was peaceful. He tried not to think about it but in the middle of the night, when he laid awake from the heat or from worrying about an exam, in his most bare and honest moment; he knew that his life was anything but peaceful.

She turned to look at him but instead she caught sight of the coffee and a smile appeared on her face. He handed it to her and sat beside her on another chair. After blowing on it gently, she took the first sip, elegant and graceful as she had ever been. He followed; he was not quite so elegant. And there they sat in silence. Comfortable? No. Awkward? Not that either.

It was somewhere in between.

She didn't look at him. She wasn't ready to yet and he understood. It was his fault after all. Her eyes laid fixed gazing at the doorknob of the door that led to the main room of the loft but her mind was elsewhere. Dan was right there, in that room; how could he be anywhere else in her presence?

"I'm—" Dan started to say.

"Don't." Serena interrupted. "It's okay. You did the right thing."

They stopped again. He could remember a time when their conversations would just flow for hours without end. He could remember a time when he didn't need a reason to be around her. But that time has passed. And the nostalgia is crippling.

"I don't know what else I can say." Dan broke the silence.

"You don't have to explain yourself. " Serena said finally turning her head to look at him. She leaned her elbow on her thigh and her cheek in her hand. She stared right into his eyes. She had always done that when she talked to him. "You always do the right thing in the end."

Dan looked down; embarrassed. The implication being that he fucked up a lot.

"Thank you." Serena said slowly as if making sure he heard her. "For inviting me over."

"Of course, of course." Dan replied quickly.

"No, really. Thank you. You didn't have to do this." Serena insisted on continuing. "You've always had such a big heart."

Dan managed to smile slightly through his shamed expression.

"Incorruptable." Serena said with a warm smile as each syllable hit his ears with a vengeance.

Dan shook his head. But she wouldn't let him, her hand reached out and caught his chin and stopped his head from moving. She tilted him up making sure their eyes met.

"You are." Serena said with a lightness in her voice. "Don't fight it."

"Thank you." It was all that he could manage to say.

He reached out and gently lowered her hand from his face. He placed it back onto her own lap.

"You don't have to make me feel better anymore." Dan said. "That's not your job anymore."

"No Dan, that is my job." Serena replied with a smile. "It will always be my job."

She looked at him with those eyes. He wasn't sure if he had seen those eyes before. They looked familiar yet different. And as much as he tried to fight it in his head, he knew exactly what it was. Joy. Relief. Contentment. It broke his heart. Yet it made it whole. He was happy that she was happy. He could he not be?

She had found love.

His phone rang. It was the wrong moment. But at this point he was used to his phone competing against Serena for his attention. He picked it up and looked at it. It was Rufus. This he could not ignore.

"It's my dad. I gotta get this." Dan said in a hesitant voice.

"I understand." Serena replied.

"Look, I gotta go meet up with Nate afterwards to deal with this whole Damien situation soon. If Ben doesn't arrive in the next couple of minutes will you be okay here by yourself?" Dan asked.

"I'll be fine." Serena replied with a genuine smiled, much to his disappointment.

Much to his disappointment.


	2. Chapter 2

It was impossible. Simply impossible. He had no idea how she was this fast; or rather, why he was so slow. His sweat was visibly obstructing his vision. His legs were cramped from his thighs to his ankles. In short, he was in pain. A lot of pain. But she didn't seem to have any trouble whatsoever. He stopped and wiped his eyes with his hand.

A half hour later and after much futile attempts of trying to get her to turn back they had finally reached the top of the hill. Dan emerged from the trail several minutes after her. Heavy breathed, hunched over, he pushed his bike as if it were a bolder until he finally could see over the horizon. And it was magnificent.

"Wow…" He managed to say despite the shortness in his breath.

"Exactly." Cece said as she took off her helmet. "I told you it would be worth it."

Dan left his bike fall to the ground as he collapse under the weight of his own exhaustion. Cece took the picnic basket off of the back of her bike and from it he she took out a water bottle and handed it to Dan. Dan chugged it down.

"Would you like a sandwich Daniel?" Cece asked as she sat herself down beside him.

"Yes, please." Dan said as the water had just cleared his throat.

Dan took the sandwich that had been handed to him and devoured it a wolf like demeanor.

"I'm surprised we haven't been up here before. I ride this trail all the time." Cece said as she stair out towards the vastness of the landscape.

"Well… this is a special hill and I was saving it." Dan said as he ate. "Besides, it's twice as long as any of the other trails we've been on."

"I remember the first summer we spent at the Hamptons. You looked quite silly on a bicycle." Cece remarked.

"I bet I still do." Dan responded.

"Well even this hill, I must admit is not for the usual afternoon bike rides." Cece said. "So what made you say yes this time around?"

"Well, I've been thinking… a lot… recently… you know." Dan stumbled on his words.

"Oh just come out with it Daniel, every time you have something important to say it just comes out as jibberish." Cece said as he gently slapped Dan across the back of the head. "It's a wonder that you manage to stand up in front of an auditorium full of people and read your work."

"That's a bit different, most of the time , I'm usually just looking down at my page." Dan said as he finished his sandwich.

"Yes, I've noticed…" Cece replied absently as she wiped the sweat from Dan's head off on her handkerchief. "You should definitely work on that. You looked like an idiot in front of the New York Poet Society last month."

"Everyone said I was great." Dan said in a mock defensive tone.

"Everyone is not Serena's grandmother." Cece said with a smug smile. "I'll I'm saying Daniel, is that you should memorize what you wrote when you ask her tomorrow."

"Wait… you knew…" Dan said as he slid the box back into his pocket discretely.

"Daniel, we are up on this hill, the one trail that you would never ride with me. You can't seem to find your words, and you're sweating like a mad man." Cece said in a condescending tone.

"To be fair, I think that's because of the ride up the hill." Dan joked.

"And there it is." Cece said with a knowing look. "At least let me see the ring that you've picked out."

Dan, stunned and without a single word, pulled the little black box from his pocket and handed it to Cece.

"It's like she can read my mind." Dan whispered as he released his hand from the box.

"No, you are just that obvious." Cece said as he opened the box.

Dan watched for a reaction, he needed her approval, he cared what she thought. And he has been trying to figure out exactly when his opinion changed and he could never pinpoint an exact time but it seems now it was more important than ever that he knew that she approved of him.

There was a long pause. Her face carried no discernible reaction. She read that ring as if she read an article. She studied it, she analyzed it. But more than that, it felt like she was analyzing him. Which was a strange feeling; he didn't know if he liked being dismissed by her or analyzed by her. She was, after all, the most formidable woman he had ever met.

"Daniel…" She said in one breath as if to separate his name from the rest of her thought. "What do you want me to say?"

Dan said nothing.

"Of course you have my blessing to marry Serena." Cece finally said. "You didn't need to ask me. You are the only one for her."

"Phew." Dan said as he collapsed backwards onto his elbows. "You had me scared."

"Don't I always?"Cece laughed.

**Author's Note:** If you guys haven't already noticed, this isn't going to be chronological in any way. I'm jumping back and forth, writing what I feel like. There is a definite timeline though and it fits into a story called Sink or Swim which I recently completed. In the future I'll be filling in a lot of the in between moments in that story with these chapters. But Sink or Swim isn't required reading for this story at all.


	3. Chapter 3

It went like this. Four chops, an intermission of crunching, then four more chops. For everyone four slices of the bell pepper she chopped, she ate one. And as her latest conquest reached her mouth Dan snatched it from her hand with his teeth and glides gracefully towards the refrigerator. He reached in and pulled out the dressing.

"Ranch? Or Italian?" Dan asked as he spun around and held out the two bottles.

"She's just so abrasive sometimes!" Serena said as she forced down the knife onto the cutting board.

"Glad we're having the same conversation." Dan said sarcastically as he finally just made an executive decision and chose the Italian.

"You know people think I get away with stuff?" Serena said as she continued to chop the bell pepper.

"Really? Who says that?" Dan decided to continue with his sarcastic streak. It was easier when she wasn't paying attention.

"But I fight back once in a while and somehow I'm horrible." She said as she drove the knife into the cutting board.

Dan paused for a second.

"Easy there, Serena." Dan said as he grabbed the chopped peppers and tossed them in with the rest of the salad.

"Remember in senior year when we were applying for colleges and I went Yale for that visit?" Serena asked.

"Well I got my pants stolen so I try not to." Dan said as he carried the salad bowl out onto the terrace.

"I did one thing, one thing, after she called me dumb, and vapid, and lazy for days on end." Serena said as she followed with a pitcher of ice tea. "And somehow I'm the cruel one?"

Dan said nothing as he set a plate in front of their seats.

"Nothing to add?" Serena said as she put the pitcher down onto the table.

"What do you want me to say?" Dan said as he reached for the utensils.

"Oh my god… you do think I'm the cruel one." Serena said as she put her hand on her hip. Her posture immediately turned defensive.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Dan said as he stopped what he was doing and approached Serena. "But you have to remember… Okay, let me put it to you this way. What was Blair's reaction right after you arrived on campus at Yale?"

Serena sighed and slouched a bit. "Fear and dread…"

"Exactly. It's not so much that you are an intentionally cruel person. It's just that the few times you do decide to fight back, most people, including Blair are just not prepared for the onslaught." Dan said as he reached out and gave Serena a quick peck on the lips.

Dan walked back into the apartment to grab the rest of the food.

"I still don't think that's fair." Serena said as she sat down in her chair and maneuvered for the salad.

"I didn't say it was but you have to stop stressing about it." Dan said as he came back out holding a cheesecake in one hand and the crystal glasses in his other. "You're not going to lose to her."

"You really think I can beat Blair." Serena asked.

Dan said down and let out a deep breath. "Look, you know how I feel towards this whole situation. And you know how not interested I am in it—"

"That's true." Serena interjected.

Dan smiled as if to hold back a natural response. "To me this whole thing is just another skirmish between you and Blair that will blow over next week. It happens every few months if you haven't already noticed, and you've been doing it since as far back as I've known you."

"We are actually fighting long before that." Serena added.

"Again, exactly my point." Dan continued. "Look, one thing I've noticed as a longtime observer of the ever-continuing Serena/Blair Wars is that when you fire a shot, it's usually a direct hit. With Blair, it's usually more about carpet bombing, sure it's terrifying at first but then you learn the pattern and she's not that hard to figure out."

"Well aren't you the sweetest boyfriend." Serena said as she leaned across the table and kissed him. "And thank you for putting my name first."

Dan smiled. "I'm just saying that don't think about it too much. You know how you're annoyed by her? Well she's actually afraid of you."

"You think?" Serena asked as she poured herself some ice tea.

"Oh yeah." Dan replied confidently.

"So, not that I'm mad or anything but you don't have to trash Blair just for my sake." Serena said as she took a sip.

"Oh I'm not." Dan said as he grabbed some bread and broke it. "I'll probably just say some stuff about you when I see her. Make things even."

"How gallant…" Serena let out in a muted tone. "So are you coming to the opening show of NY Fashion Week or not?"

Dan stretched out his arms and yawned. "Do I have to?"

"Dan… you I love you and would do anything for you." Serena said as he reached out and held his hand. "But this is not something I'm willing to negotiate."

"Fine…" Dan let out and squeezed her hand.

"Besides, you need something new for fall anyways. And I saw you on that CNN interview, I'm firing your stylist, by the way." Serena said as he started on her salad.

"Kylie? I like Kylie." Dan protested.

"And I don't like the way she looks at you." Serena added.

"Are you jealous?" Dan asked in a sly voice.

"No, jealous is what happens when you want something you don't have. She's jealous of me." Serena replied confidently. "Besides, I can style you. And the show could be like going shopping."

"Well at least I can keep an eye out on you two when the fight blows up, try to minimize the hair pulling." Dan said.

"So you're going to help me take down Blair?" Serena asked.

"I will… be… with you in spirit!" Dan said with a toothy smile.

"My chivalrous boyfriend everyone." Serena said with a dry sarcastic. "He's my hero."

**Author's Note:** Thanks guys for the warm welcome back. But I didn't really go anywhere, it's just that I had completed a story and had nothing to write for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

_Their little walked led them to an illuminated fountain nested in a small road side park just a couple blocks away. Serena had gotten tired of walking so they decided to stop by the water to rest. Between the trickling of the fountain and the infinite sound of New York traffic they found a place of harmony; a place where they could talk, a good place to start, a good place to figure out where to go from there._

_Dan tugged on his tie and cleared his throat._

"_You can take it off." Serena giggled. "You don't have to keep it on for me."_

"_Thank god." Dan let out as he quickly undid the tie and wrapped it around his hand._

"_Thank you… for being so patient with me." Serena said in a calmer voice._

"_It's not your fault." Dan said simply._

"_No, it really is." Serena said as her gazed trailed off. "I could be better…"_

"_You don't need to be." Dan said as he held out his hand._

_Serena looked at his hand then up into his eyes. "I do." She said as she reached out to his hand and pulled herself up._

_A kiss landed on his lips. Instinctually he closed his eyes to enjoy her warmth. He was awoken from his living dream by her words; "I do need to be better"._

"_I missed you." She whispered as the faint honks of car horns accented her words._

"_I missed you too." Dan returned them with a smile._

"_So… how was your first experience at the ballet?" Serena asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck._

"_Wonderful." Dan said boldly._

"_Okay, now tell me what you really thought of it." Serena said with a smile._

"_It was… surprisingly good. I found myself enjoying it." Dan said honestly._

"_I think there's a little more Upper East Side in you than you're willing to admit." Serena teased._

"_Let's just say I've been feeling less guilty lately." Dan said. "For a while, for a long while, I was afraid of what happened to my family. You know, my dad and your mom. I was still coming to grips with the idea that the Upper East Side wasn't just a passing phase in my life, a story from my youth that I would later pass on. But as I realized that our lives were going to be intertwined even after high school, I suddenly realized that I had become what I hated most. I don't blame you for this…"_

"_I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to be anyone else than you were." Serena said as she held onto him tightly._

"_No, it wasn't you who made me feel that way. I did that to myself." Dan said as he looked down. "It just took a while for me to allow myself to be happy."_

"_Is that why you didn't fight for me?" Serena asked._

"_You mean…" Dan started._

_Serena nodded._

"_Serena… that wasn't just me. We decided to end things mutually." Dan said as he took her arms and wrapped them._

_Serena's eyes betrayed her composure._

"_Wait… is that what you wanted me to do?" Dan asked. _

"_I'm sorry Dan." Serena said as her words came out with an accent of sorrow. "I'm so sorry."_

_Dan step forward and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay… you have nothing to be sorry for."_

"_Dan… I was selfish. I wanted you to fight for me. I was jealous of Ms. Carr. I wanted you to chase me as you once did." Serena said as her tears hit his shoulder._

_They stood there still as the radiant stars of the night sky illuminated their little place in the world. As the fountain sang to them their water song. As the traffic of the streets guarded their privacy from pedestrians and onlookers. They stood there, waiting to for what was to happen next._

"_I would've fought for you." Dan said finally breaking their silence._

"_I should've have tested you like that." Serena whispered._

"_I know, but I still would have." Dan said. "And I still will."_

"_No. Dan, don't." She said as he created a little bit of space between them so she could look at him._

"_Earlier today, I asked Colin to fight for me. I've been asking men to fight for me all my life because I thought I deserved it." Serena said. "It's time I fought for you. Because you deserve it."_

Because you deserve it, she thought.

"I'll wait outside for you, would it be cheesy for me to say for however long it takes?" She said with a faint optimism. "Bye."

Her phone blackberry LCD turned off. The silence of her phone echoed around her. Would he show up? Would he forgive her for what she put him through? It takes about twenty five minutes for him to get to here from Brooklyn, plus the ten or fifteen minutes he would spend trying to decide if he would come, plus the time to get ready. Serena estimated that it would take him at least an hour.

An hour. An hour felt like an eternity.

She was nervous. She replayed that fictional piece of history of the night's events over and over in her head, recrafting every detail to perfection. Had Colin not shown up, had Colin not kissed her outside, had she chose Serena when Dan confronted her about it. Had she just been a little faster, a little less scared, could she have spared him that pain?

In her mind, she finds Dan first and Colin sees them from a distance. In her mind, they have a wonderful night together with no Juliet and no Vanessa. In her mind, she confessed to him what the last year and a half of her life was like and how much she missed him. In her mind, he forgives her. In her mind, they are happy.

In her mind, she is better than she is. But right now she is trying to be better, trying to set things right. What else could she do?

So what could she do but wait. Wait for him… for however long it takes.

**Author's Note:** I had fun writing this chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it. And thanks for all the kind reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

_There was a quality to the air. A warmth, though there were warm days in New York, this was not that warmth. This, on the backs of the Pacific wind, was the caress of the sun. She held her heels dangling from her fingers as she scrolled along the tide's edge of the beach. She had gotten off work early, one of the rare occasions that she did. Out there, towards the horizon she stared. An endless ocean and the boundless skies, covered with colours that she had never seen in New York._

_She could be happy here. _

_She truly could. When was the last time she had felt this happy? She realized the answer and brushed it away from her mind as soon as she did. This was not the time to think about that. She had work in the morning, a movie in the works, a hard-to-please boss. Serena Van Der Woodsen, could she be different? Could she be someone else?_

_Here, across a continent, she had made it. She had escaped, but she left someone behind. This wasn't just my plan, she thought. This was our plan._

**The Last Time**

Her legs still wrapped around him. His breath slowed. His muscles relaxed. But she held onto him. Still, as he rolled back over her fingers trailed across his chest. She reached over and found the switch that turned off the installation. The snow covered walls turned off And the small lamps that she had placed across the room turned on. Suddenly, it wasn't so cold anymore.

"So really…" Dan asked. "How'd you do all this?"

"Vanessa helped." Serena admitted as she curled up beside him.

"Thank you." He said. "This is the best Christmas present ever."

"Dan…" Serena said as her voice dropped into a silence. "You make me happy. I've never been this happy."

Dan said nothing. He leaned in and kissed her gently.

"I… want… to…" She said in between every little kiss Dan placed on her lips. "be… here… forever…"

_Serena got out of her little Porsche Boxster just as the sun had set and the last remaining rays has triumphantly bounced off the reflective painted surface of the car. She headed into the liquor store and took off her aviators as she walked by clerk. She flashed a smile as she had learned to in this city. There were customs here that weren't in New York. Such a world she did not know existed. Not until now. _

_She picked up the scotch that Marshall had requested. She was in no mood for this party but work is work. She had to go. The last couple of weeks hadn't been the greatest and summer was starting to take its toll on her._

_She was too busy to go out most nights and the nights she had off she just really wanted to relax. As a result she had few friends in this town and often found her nights lonely. She had talked to Dan a few times on the phone over the summer but much not more than a few cursory updates on the goings on back in Manhattan._

_And on most nights, even the ones when she didn't want to admit it, her bed felt big and cold. And there was still one man on her mind despite the distance. She supposed that she could consider herself lucky that she felt so strongly about some, anyone. That this kind of love exists, but she already knew that._

_She had it once, before she screwed it up._

**Things She Remembers At Night**

She waited by the gate of the two schools. Leaning against the black metal rods she casually posed herself up against it. He emerged from the doors of St. Jude's, as usual, staring down at his spiral notebook, reading something he had previously written in the day, examining, critiquing himself, trying to make sure that his work was as good as it could be.

But his concentration was broken as he glanced up and saw his girlfriend, with the cool spring breeze carrying her hair gently across her face, her angel like appearance, there she stood, waiting for him. He almost tripped on the stairs as he instinctively approached her.

She giggled a little to herself.

As he regained his balance he slowed down in front of her.

"You're supposed to kiss me." She said playful as he grabbed him by his tie and pulled him in.

Their lips locked as Serena wrapped one arm across his neck. Slowly they broke from each other and shared a breath.

"You're gonna have to get good at that." Serena teased. "I want a picture of that eventually."

"So what's the cue?" Dan asked with a sarcastic smile on his face.

"No cue." Serena replied. "Just greet me like that all the time and we'll have no problems."

"I think I can live with that." Dan said as he leaned in and kissed her again.

It was as though his kiss was irresistible; she was always ready to completely give into his embrace.

As Dan broke the kiss he asked: "So what's the plan for today? I mean making out near school is great but it's kinda chilly out here."

"Well, I have a cake tasting to go to before dinner. We could just hang out at my place until then." Serena suggested.

"Cake tasting?" Dan asked.

"Yeah, well. This is gonna be my mom's fourth wedding. She's very specific about what she wants in a ceremony. And that includes the cake." Serena replied.

"Still can't believe your mom is marrying Chuck's dad." Dan remarked.

"I know, did I tell you what he was doing in my shower this morning!" Serena jumped a little at the thought of it again.

"Yes, you did. This morning and at lunch." Dan replied.

"He was smoking in my bathroom. And used my towels for… uggghhhh!" Serena let out.

"_I had a good time with you tonight." Serena said as she mustered up the most sincere smile she could at that moment._

"_Do you. Wanna come back to my place?" He asked. Smooth. She couldn't help but chuckle a little inside at the proposition. Points for a good effort, she thought. What else could she realistically expect after such a successful date?_

"_Actually, I'm quite tired. I think we should just call it a night." Serena said._

"_You sure?" He asked. _

_Serena nodded. He reached over and gently kissed her on the cheek. Poor guy, she thought. He did everything right, he had the eyes, the car, the clothes. He was charming and interesting, and polite, and a complete gentlemen. But there was no way he was competing with her memories of those days._

_She got out of her car and walked towards the waters. His car did not start up immediately. She could feel his gaze upon her back. Heartbreaker, she had heard that moniker more than once before. She didn't think she was so cruel, but it was times like this that she realized her cruelty wasn't of her own effort but rather of her natural design. _

_Regardless, she was not without torture herself. Without heartbreak. She sat on the beach and watched the Pacific Ocean as she had often done during that summer; waiting for the sun to rise._

**Two Years Later**

She laid naked on top of him. Her panties on the floor next to the couch they were on. She was covered only by his shirt that she had been using to sleep in. The sun poured in from the windows of their apartment. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set. She realized that they had slept the afternoon away.

Her hands crept gently across his chest to the bandage that covered his wound. There it was, always there, staring at her, reminding her of what almost was. What she could have almost lost. She had grown used to the sight of his blood after learning to change his bandages for him but that doesn't mean it didn't pain her to see it every time. It broke her heart.

Never the less she smiled. After all that had happened, she was thankful that she could still be here. And be his perfect girlfriend. She was far from perfect. She knew that. But for whatever season Dan didn't seem to. How could he not see her as she saw herself, as the world saw her? A directionless screw up with no substance or quality, was he deluding himself? Or did he see in her something that she didn't yet understand? He believed in her, far more than she had ever believed in herself.

_This wasn't just my plan, she thought. This was our plan._

She leaned over and placed her hand gently over his bandages. She laid on top of him as he slept. She positioned her mouth to his ear and silently mouthed:

"I'm not leaving without you. We will get out of this place. Together."

**A/N:** Another one from Serena's perspective. There's a weirdness about writing for a girl, I can only assume certain emotions, I can't actually know. Anyways, I really do hope you guys enjoyed this.


	6. Chapter 6

_Dan Humphrey, age 17, writer. Poet. Intellectual. Second in his class._

_And for all that did she even know who he was? Did she have any idea how he stares at while she waits to meet up with her best friend after school? How he would walk eight blocks during lunch just to catch a glimpse of her on the MET steps? How he wrote endless stories about her. Most of them crap. But some of them… sweet._

_At least she would later think so._

_What brings him up and what crushes him down again. This golden goddess that freezes him every time he sees her, why was it his first inclination always to become invisible? _

_She walks by with that signature Serena stride, graceful and strong. Don't stare._

_What brought him to The Palace he often thought was a naïve hope or reckless abandonment. Under age, that's okay. Keep walking. She hit him as she always did. He was stunned, but this time because of an actual collision. He dropped to his knees to help her collect her things off the ground. But in her rushed she left her cellphone in the care of this… Dan Humphrey._

_And being Dan Humphrey, while never would he ever admit to such an antiquated fool, he was chivalrous and decided to return to phone. And being chivalrous, he didn't even poke around her messages, though he desperately wondered what she had in common with that dreadful Blair Waldorf._

_In the morning he did as he always did, he did the right thing. He returned the phone, messages unchecked, pictures unprodded. And what did he get for his virtuous intentions? An interrogation, from an ex-marine doorman, Dexter. He, who was more like Dan than anyone else in this upscale environment, looked down on him like an urchin of the streets._

_But she saw the phone as Dan was caught off guard. She was far more thankful, and far more courteous than he would have expected. She did as she had always done to Dan. She stunned him and drove his senses from his control. And before he knew it he was on a date with her. He wasn't ready! You can't just throw a man into a pool of ice. You have to ease him into it. Abort. Abort!_

_His chest deflated as the air left his lungs. His hands still. At least that much of him was under control. But for how long? How long until he sees her and freezes up like he always does. Or worse yet, stares to ramble. How could he not make a fool of himself? _

_Don't choke. Don't choke._

**Don't Choke**

He woke up after her. Most days he does. He rolled himself out of bed and onto the cold hardwood floor. Some days his body just did not want to start. He got up and made his way into the bathroom. There she was, her hair in a ponytail, standing there only in her boy shorts and her pink tank top that she wore to bed the night previous. She watched the mirror as she applied her lipstick.

He slapped her butt as he walked into the bathroom. Her instinct was to smile but her anger led her to smack his chest with her other hand as he approached the shower. She pushed him but as he moved back her hand slid across to his shoulder and then to his wrist and pulled him back and wrapped them around her as she kiss him. _Good morning._

Her lips curled up into a glowing glee. He could feel the contours of her smiling lips upon his.

She released him and told him to shower.

He wetted his hair and he rinsed his face. Her voice came from the other side of the shower door "Are you ready for tonight?"

"You know I don't like interviews." He said as he shampooed his hair.

"I never understood that." She replied.

"You never stop talking." She said again, but this time her voice was a lot closer.

He turned, stunned, as she had always done to him. Standing in the shower she leaned forward and held onto his shoulders and whispered, "Don't choke."

His head raced around a couple of laps before he made the connection. "You read it?"

"Yeah I found it at the bottom of a box while organizing your desk." She said as her hands traveled down his arms and around to his back.

"That was a long time ago." He said as his hands swept across her tank top, painting it with water wherever they went.

"Most of it wasn't that good. But some of it was… sweet." She said as she lost her breath for a moment as his hands traveled underneath the fabric and up her back.

She lifted her arms and he took off her tank and kissed her on the neck. Her eyes closed and her breath became heavy.

"_At least I thought so."_


	7. Chapter 7

_The light struck her at a blinding angle as she crashed through the double doors leading to the balcony. Here she had been before in the summers of her youth, the gardens of her grandmother. Here she had spent countless afternoons meandering in conversations, sometimes with Blair, sometimes with Eric, sometimes with her mother, and sometimes with Cece. Little did she know all of those conversations, about her life, her future, her passions, her fears, her insecurities, her most treasured summer days, her preference of coffee over tea, all this was to say who she'd hope to become. Even before she knew what that was. _

_Only now as all over her memories converged in her mind and with Dan just a few seconds behind her did she realize how much she feared what she had hoped to become._

"_Serena…" Dan said as he emerged out onto the balcony._

_The sun had set hours ago and only the floodlight of the balcony illuminated his features. How clearly she could see him now, in the tones of black and white; with startling clarity._

"_Serena, I'm sorry." Dan said as he approached her slowly. "I didn't mean to upset you."_

"_Dan…" She whispered through her silent tears. "You didn't upset me… I did."_

_Dan reached out for her hand. He enclosed his fingers around hers transferring his heat to her._

"_Serena… talk to me." Dan said as he leaned on the balcony's edge._

"_I don't want to do this to you Dan…" Serena said as she revealed her tear soaked face to him. "I don't want to hurt you anymore." _

_She sat beside him not letting go of his hand… she didn't want to… she shouldn't have to… not yet._

"_It's a beautiful ring." She said as she looked down at her hand._

"_It's yours forever…" Dan said._

"_Dan… we've been doing this since high school." Serena said. "Every time I think that I am over you I realize I'm not. I didn't let you move on… and I'm sorry."_

"_You're telling me this at our engagement dinner?" Dan asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Lily, my Dad, Cece, Jenny, Eric, Blair, Nate, and Chuck are all downstairs."_

"_I know Dan… I'm so sorry." Serena tried to explain. "But if I marry you, I know I'll get end up hurting you. And I don't want to hurt you…"_

"_You were my dream once…" Dan said. "Did I ever tell you that?"_

_Serena's head dropped slightly yet still holding his hand. She wasn't ready yet._

"_If I could only explain to you what it is like for me to simply spend time with you." Dan continued calmly. "You think that I want so much of you, so strongly for you to be someone else. You act as though I am not sure of you."_

_He gripped her hand._

"_Serena, I've always been sure of you." Dan said. "Could that I not love you…. I still would chose to."_

_He stood up and in so standing her up by the will of their connected hands._

"_And do you know why I know that we're meant to be together?" Dan asked in a rhetorical tone. "Because I don't take this seriously. You're worried that you are going to drive me away when we're married? I am one hundred percent sure that we will be a boring couple that orders in and watches movies."_

_Serena let out a smile and a hint of laughter._

"_And Serena…" Dan continued. "I can't wait to get there with you."_

_He leaned in slowly and kissed her as once he once did in their forgotten youth. Not so forgotten. " You asked me to kiss you once… remember that?"_

_She smiled through her tears and nodded._

"_Good, just so you always remember…" Dan said. "You started this thing!"_

The light struck the top of her golden hair with the softness of its design. She stood in near the kitchen counter and patiently took her time as she sliced two pieces of Marble cake and placed each piece on their own separate dish paired with a fork. She licked her finger and took the cakes into the living room. She sat down on one end of the couch. Dan retracted his feet to give her space but he could clearly feel the heat of her butt against his shins.

She handed one of the plates to Dan. Without words, Dan took the cake and immediately put it on the coffee table beside him.

"Okay, that's it." Serena said as she snatched the notepad out of his hands leaving him with only the pen. "Eat your cake."

Dan begrudgingly obliged.

"So Jenny's coming to visit tomorrow." Serena said as she reached underneath Dan.

"What why? I thought she hated it out here. Too cold or something." Dan said as he lifted up his butt.

Serena pulled the blanket out from underneath and wrapped it around herself. "She's right about that."

"Is that really necessary?" Dan asked. "Look I got the fireplace working."

"That's great honey." Serena said as she dug into her cake. "I think it's about her new boyfriend."

"Let me guess. She wants me to talk to dad and—" Dan said before Serena cut in.

"And make sure he's polite when she finally introduces him." Serena finished.

"I don't know why this always falls on me. Why can't you do it?" Dan asked.

"Come on Dan, Ian actually seems nice. Frankly he's a step up from the last three guys she's dated. " Serena said.

"Aren't you glad we're passed that." Dan asked.

Serena smiled and put down her plate. She turned and crawled over him. She leaned in slowly and laid a gentle kiss on his lips before collapsing and embracing him. She turned her head and placed it with her ear to his heartbeat staring right into the fireplace.

"It is a nice fire." She murmured.


	8. Chapter 8

Dan could see the edges of the page. The white corners with the exact page number, he had it memorized. The stage hand in front of him tilted the page slightly so that he could get a better view. And Dan caught a glimpse of her thigh. The stage hand sitting in front of him handed the magazine to his friend sitting beside him.

"Oh yeah…" He said as he received the magazine.

"Oh yeah is right…" The stage hand said as he popped another nicotine lozenge into his mouth. It was his third one in an hour Dan noticed. "Look at the legs on her."

Dan could feel the heat emanating from his back. Dan jerked his head slightly as he bit down on his lips and clenched his fist. He repositioned himself so that he was no longer looking over the guy's shoulder. He didn't want to be there but he didn't want to get up and leave. That would be too obvious. He closed his eyes and tried to think of other things. Unfortunately all he could think about her were thighs. And that wasn't helping the situation.

"I heard she might be getting nude in this shoot." The first stage hand said.

"Really?" The second guy asked in astonishment.

"Well…I don't think she'll be showing anything but think about it… wardrobe changes, we're here, we have angles the camera doesn't…" The first guy continued.

"I wonder what her bush looks—Ouch!" He shouted as he felt a hard kick at the back of his chair. "What the fuck?"

He turned around to look at Dan. Just then the sound of heels and the rhythm of the stride caught his attention. And then the voice.

"Dan, you're here." Serena said as she entered the main stage with her assistant.

Dan stared right back at the guy now mortified as he started to put the pieces together in his head. Dan leaned forward and said: "Next time I'll collapse your face."

Dan got up to greet Serena. He positioned his body as to obscure the view of her from anyone except himself and her assistant.

"Wow…" Dan said. "Look at what you're not wearing…"

"You don't like it…" Serena deduced.

"No no, I think it's great." Dan said. "You know, if you're into the whole transparent curtain wrapped around you while you wear a skimpy one piece underneath which I might add is more like a half piece or even a one thirds piece—"

"Dan…" Serena interrupted.

"I'm sorry. You look… magnificent. You really do." Dan said as he slowed his breathing. "I'm not thrilled that my girlfriend is going to be goggled by every man in the room. I counted what fifteen… twenty of them?"

"Do you want me to not do it?" Serena asked.

"No, no. I want you to do it. I want you to do what makes you happy." Dan said. "I would never… but do I really have to be here? I can just go… wait in the car, are you know hang out with the stoners in the parking lot. Or grab something at Taco Bell…"

"Okay, you're nervous. I get it." Serena said as she placed a reassuring hand on his cheek. She leaned in and gently kissed him. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

It took a second for Dan to calm down but once he did he signalled it with a genuine smile.

"Okay. Thank you, Serena." Dan said. "And for the record... you look so… so very hot."

Serena smiled and kissed him again. "Thank you. And who knows, maybe they'll let me keep it. I'll just tell them my boyfriend loves it so much."

She slipped away with her assistant giving Dan a sultry stare as she traveled again from him.

"Yes… of course… big fan. I love… itsy bitsy bikinis… on my… girlf—I should shut up now, who am I talking to…" Dan's voice faded.

He walked over and sat down again in the row of seats. There was a girl sitting in front of him. There was something odd about her. Something… familiar. That frizzy black hair, that frame…

"Vanessa?" Dan asked.

She turned around to look at him.

"Oh hey Dan." She greeted him casually. "I didn't think you would come to something like this."

"Why wouldn't I? It's Serena." Dan said defensively.

Vanessa smiled. "I know…"

"Yeah it totally sucks. But said it was important for me to come to at least one of these shoots, just to see what it is all about. I'm trying really hard not to be the jerkface jealous boyfriend." Dan explained.

"Must be hard… all those guys staring at her." Vanessa egged him on.

"Yeah… wait. Why are you here?" Dan asked.

"I'm the photographer." Vanessa explained.

"Oh…" Dan said in a confused voice.

She picked up her camera polished the lens one last time and without a word got up and approached the main stage. Dan stood up to get a better view. He could see Serena's expression as noticed Vanessa approaching her with a camera. She looked over at Dan with an expression of confused. Dan simply returned with a shrug.

"Serena, this is Vanessa Abrams." Daria, the art director introduced the two.

"I know, we've met." Serena said less than enthusiastically.

"Oh good." Daria replied. "She's going to be your photographer today."

Vanessa smiled smugly as Serena was caught without words.

Finally Serena panicked and said: "Ah, actually Daria. Can Dan be one of my photographers as well?"

"What?" "What?" "What?" Daria, Vanessa, and Dan voiced respectively.

"Does he know how to shoot?" Daria asked.

"Yeah, he was a war photographer for a couple of years. His photos were in the New York Times, National Geographics… he's a great photographer." Serena explained.

"Dan?" Daria asked as she turned to him.

"Uuuhhh…" Dan was speechless.

_Please_, Serena mouthed to him.

"Uhh, sure why not. I've always wanted to shoot Serena like this." Dan teased.

"Great, can you shoot Canon?" Daria asked.

"I can shoot most anything." Dan said confidently.

"Talented." Daria said impressed. "Lucky girl… Can we get Dan here the Mark II and a Pocket Wizard."

"Yep… that's why I love him." Serena declared in a loud audible voice. Her eyes darted towards Vanessa.

Vanessa said nothing. She simply rolled her eyes and walked away. Dan approached Serena.

"What the hell was that?" Dan asked.

"I panicked…" Serena tried to explain. "It's Vanessa…"

"Come on…" Dan said. "You're better than this."

"I know, I know…" Serena pleaded. "Just make me look good."

"Serena, there's nothing Vanessa can do with that camera to make you look bad right now." Dan said.

She smiled again and leaned him to kiss him. There was a tap on his shoulder that broke their kiss. Dan looked over to find Daria holding the camera that she had for him to use.

The shoot began and Serena took to the center of attention like a natural. Vanessa and Dan circled her as she posed. She had a very Serena way about her and it translated to the pictures. Dan loved it. Vanessa wasn't impressed. But slowly as the minutes went by they settled into a comfortable rhythm. In their quick little breaks Dan and Vanessa compared their shots and gave each other notes as they had once done. Needless to say Serena was not thrilled.

"Alright, take a break people." Daria declared. "The nude part is coming up next, let's not have everyone staring."

"Great…" Dan whispered under his breath.

"I didn't take you for a camera man Humphrey." Vanessa said as they took their break to dump their CF cards onto the drive and give their arms a break.

"Yeah well, I put that old Pentax you left behind to good use the last few years of college." Dan said as he polished his lens.

"Istanbul?" Vanessa asked.

Dan took a deep breath. "Yeah… Istanbul. Did Jenny tell you?"

Vanessa nodded.

"God damn it Jenny…" Dan said.

"I'm sorry…" Vanessa said.

"Thanks…" Dan whispered.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Serena said as she finally got a moment away from her assistant and Daria.

There was an awkward silence.

"Istanbul." Dan said as he searched his mind for an excuse but found none.

"Dan, can I have a moment with you?" Serena asked.

"Sure" Dan got up.

Serena leaned towards Vanessa and said: "Really Vanessa? What is your problem? I know Jenny, Rufus, and Dan have forgiven you but I sure as hell haven't. Don't ever bring up Istanbul again."

Serena quickly caught up with Dan.

"Are you okay babe?" Serena asked as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Yeah I'm fine. " Dan said trying to snap out of his funk.

"Good." Serena said in a low sultry voice that caught Dan by surprised.

She closed her elbows around his neck and tossed her body across his carrying him into a roll and landing him onto the soft fluffy carpet surface of the main stage. She planted her tongue deep into his mouth and pinned his arms to the carpet trapping him completely underneath her, completely within her control.

She slipped off her bathrobe that had covered up until now. She wore nothing underneath all the while making sure her explicit parts were firmly planted against his body so as to still remain hidden. Immediately the hollers and jeering of the stage crew attracted to attention of everyone including Vanessa and Daria.

"What… are…. You…. Doing?" Dan asked in between kisses.

"Just go with it." Serena said quickly as she returned her mouth to his.

"I… don't… know… what's… happening." Dan again tried to say.

Vanessa stood there staring at them rolling around on the main stage. Daria seemed intrigued.

"You should probably be getting this." Daria nudged.

"What?" Vanessa exclaimed uncomfortably.

"This is…. Hot!" Daria said. "Start snapping."

Dumbstruck, Vanessa did as she was told. Serena's hand traveled down to Dan's collar and started to undo his tie. As soon as she could get a grip in she tore the buttons off of his shirt.

"Whao whao whao whao whao!" Dan protested. "Serena…. What are you doing?"

All the while Vanessa continued to shoot despite her awkward position.

"Do this for me…" Serena said as her breath traveled across his newly freed chest. "Please Dan."

"Is this because of Vanessa? Are you just trying to piss her off?" Dan asked frantically.

"Yes Dan. I really want to piss her off. Now please, do this for me." Serena said as she dug her nails into his shoulders.

His head flung back. He was completely frozen, he had no idea what to do in this situation. Serena crawled over him and kissed him gently, as she had always done to calm her down. It always worked. And it worked now.

"Now please…" Serena whispered. "Do this… for me?"

"Oh what the hell…" Dan said as his arms wrapped around her and turned her over so that she was pinned under him now. Their lips met and wrestled. Serena's eye traveled to search for Vanessa without breaking their kiss. She slid her leg up his thigh and wrapped around him. She then grabbed his shirt and destroyed it with a loud rip. An expression of primal conviction appeared on her face.

She could see her posture weakening. She could tell that Vanessa was becoming ever more uncomfortable. _Good._

Serena stood him up on his knees and tore his shirt over his left shoulder to reveal a huge scar from a bullet that he had once received for her sake. She slid down his body and turned her head to face the camera while pressing her ear against his heart. She gave the camera and by extension Vanessa a ferocious look. The sight of the old wound startled and dismayed Vanessa. But not Serena, she had nursed that wound, she had cared for it, she healed him, she knew him intimately in a way that Vanessa had no idea. And she wanted to prove it.

She finally turned around and as she did Dan's hands slid across to cover her breasts and down to cover her privates. Dan kissed her neck as she picked up Dan's camera that he had dropped and aimed it directly at Vanessa. She looked through the viewfinder and Vanessa actually took a step back. She growled as she snapped pictures of Vanessa with Dan's camera, with each slap of the shutter Vanessa physically retreated more. She was actually afraid of Serena. What had come over her? Dan held her completely and utterly in his embrace losing himself to her as Serena smiled her signature seductive smile at Vanessa with the camera as if to say… _he's mine bitch._

**A/N**: As per request for D/S to bring the sexy more often, here you go. A couple of things to note, first I know this isn't exactly sticking with _The Space Between_ theme, dully noted. And second, there's a couple of references in the story that may not immediately make sense. It comes from my other D/S fic, _Sink or Swim_. But I don't think it is necessary to read through that long and arduous story just to enjoy this one.


	9. Chapter 9

**5:00**

It seemed as though the coffee was not doing its job. For fear of falling asleep at the round two-person table currently only being occupied by one person, Dan had plugged his ears with his iPod buds and started blasting an audiobook version of Fifth Business. Around the time of chapter six, as the last glimmers of the sun had finally faded beyond the horizon and only him, his emptied cups of coffee, his iPod, and the ever diminishing crowds of the Starbucks started to clear out, that feeling in his gut; a muted melancholy had begun to grow more pronounced. His focus was elsewhere or at least he tried to keep it there but the shuffling of the crowds and the countless trendy faceless past his vision and became a blur; a mess resembling that of a mass of humans, the distraction was fading. He supposed he couldn't linger long.

They laughed and they giggled, as they often did when they were together. And although, she felt slightly guilty about it, the fact of the matter was that these girls were her new friends and despite her previous objections and despite what Dan may or may not think, she liked them. And they were kind to her. On some level of course she felt as though she had failed, having finally graduated from Columbia after a prolonged stay, to end up modeling and riding her family's name into an easy career based in large part, if not solely on her blood and birth, and of course her beauty, was less than she had imagined herself to be. She couldn't begin to think what Dan truly thought of her these days. Even still, she still loved him; she couldn't ever imagine a time that she hadn't.

**6:00**

He wandered through the forest and as the foliage muffled the sirens and the endless honking of cars and rush hour traffic, his mind started to clear. And that was never a good thing. Distractions, he needed distractions, as she had often told him. As if he was a child who needed things to keep him occupied from matters he did not yet understand. Would he ever understand? How long could he possibly wait? His fingers were cold and his breath even colder. He could see his breath hanging in the still air as he walked through and dispersed it into every direction. When he had found what he was looking for, what could be done had been done, his lips curled slightly, only on one side and his heart tried to lift itself. But without the help of his soul he knew that it was hopeless.

As the girls finally lost their energy and as the champagne finally started to take its effect, the models, Serena included, lost their breath for talk and gossip. She had noticed that everyone but herself had fallen asleep. Now left alone with only the constant hum of the airplane engine to accompany her, she drifted into the corridors of her subconscious, a maze she had only explored hoping to find the center, as if there were some golden nugget of truth that would put all her worries to rest. But most times, she wasn't looking for truth, truth was too scary, too real. She didn't want real, she wanted things her way, the way it had always been. Here where not even Blair been, in the depths of her thoughts, her loneliness always got the best of her. Never would a trip through this labyrinth, leave her without a tear in her eye.

**7:00**

The doorman had been more than courteous. Dan apologised again and again as he made a mockery of the lobby. He would have to send him a gift basket for his troubles. He kicked open the door to his penthouse suite, inside was cold and lonely as he had left it. His hands were bloody and ripped, mainly due to his own laziness and carelessness, as he hauled the tree into his home. He hoisted it up onto his back one last time, this time without the need of his little sister, carried it over to the space he had set aside for it. He looked upon the tree and apologized for the condition of his home. He stared at his hands before deciding that he should probably wash the blood and dirt off before it got infected. Half an hour later, he sat on the stool of the kitchen island, with a cold bowl of Chef Boyardee Beefaroni wharfing it down, staring at the barren tree thinking, _what I am going to do with this thing, who would even see it?_

After she had left the restroom of the plane, she returned to her seat, careful not to wake up the other girls, hoping to not have to explain the condition of her red cheeks and puffy nose and the slight sniffling in her breathing. She reached into her purse and pulled out a book, Fifth Business, which Dan had packed for her before she had left on for the job. She could still remember the disappointment in his eyes… and the smile on his lips. He wasn't much of a liar but for her he tried really hard. Her happiness came first, that was the golden rule. Sometimes she wanted to slap some sense into him. She had always thought he spent too much time in his stories reading about impossible heroes and perfect goddesses. He had always thought of her as _his_ perfect goddess and in turn killed himself trying to become that impossible hero. When was he going to realize that person is not real? How could he go through life expecting to sacrifice himself and get nothing in return?

**8:00**

He spent an inordinate amount of time washing and rinsing the dishes, as if he didn't want to moment to end. He figured all he had to do was keep busy. His hands stung a bit from the dish soap but he didn't have any deep cuts from the tree so he wasn't worried about a little pain. Besides, living and eating alone for the last two weeks, he had let the dishes pile up and the apartment was a mess. By the time the last bowl was on the drying rack and had reached for the vacuum only to realize the only reason it was out in the living room instead of the closet was because he had just vacuumed 30 minutes before, right before he had started on the dishes. Damn it. But ever the resourceful one, he found the Windex and a wash cloth and went to town on the coffee table and the TV.

She had stepped off the plane just behind Melanie; the brunette who had always wore her smile as an accessory. She turned around and caught Serena off guard. Serena tried to force the corner of her lips but it was too late.

"Come on girl, you think I didn't notice?" Melanie said with a knowing yet sympathetic smile?  
>"What? What are you talking about?" Serena feigned ignorance.<br>"You know when I know something is wrong?" Melanie asked rhetorically yet pausing anyways.  
>Serena gave her the uncomfortable yet cool look.<br>"When you don't giggle like a four year old." Melanie said as her smile dropped into a kind of _come on _gesture. "Hey, I know things have been hard at home… especially around this time of year, it's a little more than anyone care bear."  
>Serena simply tightened her lips.<br>"You should see the way you smile when you were reading that book." Melanie continued with her ever-present warming smile.  
>Serena's eyes betrayed her as a tear escaped and her lips broke rank. Melanie reached forward and gave her friend a genuine hug. She stroked her hair and told her it was going to be okay. They shared the moment and they shared the silence.<br>Finally they broke their hug. "Take care of yourself Serena…"

**9:00**

The warmth greeted her as she stepped into the apartment with her winter coat on. Now, like then, like so many years ago, that tree, almost as if it had been the same tree greeted her. Lights and all, he had done all he could to replicate that first tree, that first present he had ever given her. How had he known exactly what she wanted for Christmas when she didn't even know herself? She found him curled up on the couch in his NYU hoodie and boxer shorts. How very unsexy.

He was perfect.

Not wanting to wake him, she took off her heels and went barefoot in the apartment. She went into the bedroom and dug through the dresser for something to wear. She had found his gym shirt from their days at Constance-St. Jude. She took off her white leather coat and tossed it onto the bed, she slipped out of her skirt and took off her stocking. She undid her blouse and took off her bra and tossed on the t-shirt. She freed her hair from the ponytail that she had been wearing all day and went into the bathroom to wash her makeup off. Before returning to the living room she grabbed a fur blanket off their bed. When she got back into the living she jumped onto the couch behind him and wrapped her arms and the blanket around the sleeping man. She kissed his cheek and smiled. A genuine smile. Her fingers ran across his hand and intertwined with his. She felt a roughness in his hands and pulled them closer to her only to discover the cuts that he had recently suffered earlier in the day.

"Oh Dan…" She whispered.

_A/N: Merry Christmas and happy holidays! This is my present to you guys! I hope you like it._


End file.
